Heart of the Cards
by citrus luver
Summary: A young boy finds hope and courage to go on within a card game while by nights dreams of torment haunt him in a foreign world. More in fic.


****

YHeart of the Cards Y

__

By Thunder Mouse Pikachu

****

Summary: Dreams of torments fill a young boy's mind at night while during the day familiar yet incomprehensible voices calling out to him. Begging him to open his mind and heart to free them all. Without memories of any thing in his life he lives a life of confusion, finding comfort a simple card game called Pokémon.

****

Author's Note: Yes, card game, I've transformed Pokémon into a card game. I've found almost zero fics in cyberspace where Pokémon is a card game, which has surprised me greatly, so I've decided to write one myself. But here's a little warning the card game isn't like the trading card game we're used to. I've maxed it to a whole new level creating somewhat of a virtual world from it where combatants battle each other in. 

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon in any shape or form.

****

Prologue-

Sealed in Ice

Running… running… running.

The pit pat of a boy's bare feet could be heard upon the top of Mount Silver. The winds whirl around his body, pushing him back as he run forward. With it brings the falling December snow. Christmas is a mere week away as the boy runs. The full moon hanging over head casting a holy shadow upon him. 

Drip… drip… drip.

Stains of blood fall from his body, staining the once white snow into that of a bright red, marking his path. Blood continues to fall from his bare arms and legs. A pair of tore jeans is all he has on. His upper chest is bare to harsh winter climate. Battle wounds cover his muscular body, aging him beyond his real age of sixteen. His messy raven black hair covers his determined face. Amber eyes shinny brightly upon his face. His emotions are masked as he continues on.

Not once does he tremble. Not once does he stop. Within his arms is a golden box with a pokéball symbol glazed upon it, gold on the top and silver on the bottom. Other non-clear pictures are also glazed upon the box. Covering it with pictures. The boy hugs the box tightly as he runs. 

Not daring to look back at his opponent who has long detected his foreign scent. Each step he cringes. The blood lose he has suffered is all too much. His head becomes light headed, but he knows he can not stop. His vision blurs as he walks on. Telling himself that he's almost there. He's almost at the shrine of the gods. 

His steps grow smaller and smaller with each waking moment. The sounds of the hooting of the mystical creatures overhead, encouraging him on. His breath grows raspier as he walks. His body is covered in an inch of snow, but he doesn't notice. No longer does he have any feeling left in his skin. His face clouds with emotions knowing this is his last assignment to this world. Knowing his days upon this world are limited. His days as the guardian and protector of this world are coming to a close.

He can't help but grow sad, depressed. Faces of his past come to haunt him. His friends, especially the six that stood by him to this day, the six that never thought he had gone off the deep end when he accepted this duty. His mother, his dear sweet mother, he was her only child. Her world, and now, she was going to lose him too, just like his father. Then there was his old professor, the guy that had became a fatherly figure to him when his biological father died. His enemies, his rivals, their faces clouded his mind too. The ones that had kept him going, keeping his fighting spirit alive. Then there was her, the girl of his dreams. The two had known each other since birth, parting in their youth then coming back together at the turn of the decade. She was everything to him. Her fiery spirit, her coaxing, he loved her for that, but she didn't know. He couldn't bear to tell her, his heart's true calling, and now, now it was too late.

He kept running, cursing it all. Wishing he haven't accepted this job now. Death was calling to him now, beckoning him to the underworld. It took everything and more, to not let it overcome him. Each breathe, each step it took everything out of him. He knew his life was slipping away at each passing moment. But he kept going, walking, walking, walking. His head held high as he looked passed the snow and at the incoming shrine before him.

It was the shrine that he was appointed to locate and perform the purifying spell at. A small iced over pond was the only thing that cut him away from his destiny. He walked towards it. Knowing his minutes were numbered. Knowing that he would never make it out of this alive. The darkness was coming for him. He had sensed it, but he also knew that once he completed the spell, it wouldn't matter. The darkness would disperse. Life would return to normal. The boy walked passed the center of the pond. Just as predicted a small bridge linked him to the other side. A small light appeared before him covering his face, lighting his way. It was comforting feeling. Knowing that this was his destiny. He felt proud as the box within his hand radiated with life energy. 

He walked over the snow covered bridge and collapsed before the shrine. His energy was draining away from him. Tears poured from his eyes. The salt drops fell upon the shrine as he placed the box on the golden hand of the gods. Taking a breath he started his memorized chant. 

"A…"

A chuckle, a chuckle was heard behind him. His blood ran cold knowing he was too late. Knowing that he had failed, he turned. There stood an older man. Bloody red hair tied in that of a high pony-tail. Red- violet eyes belonging only to that of the devil. A smirk is cut into his face knowing he had finally defeated the guardian. "I won't do that if I was you, O 'chosen one," mocked the man. 

"Why?" asked the boy. His voice has turned cold. Masking all of his emotions of pain, scariness, and the thought of dying. 

"Because… I hold the things you hold dearest to you," spoke the man.

The boy's amber eyes widen. Horror filled his face, realizing what the man meant. Soon shock was replaced with that of angrier. The innocence and fear within his eyes changed. His eye color changed to that of bloody red. All he saw was red. "Free them. Your grudge is against me. Not my friends, leave them out of this," shouted the boy.

"Hmph." The insane man chuckled. "Why should I? I hold all the cards now. I hold your friends in my possession. I hold you, the chosen one at death's bay. Why should I listen to you?"

"Because only I know the chant. Only I can summon the gods. Only I have the power to do so. You kill me. We both lose."

"Oh, I don't think so, master," spitted the man. His voice was full of venom. "I don't need the chant or the gods anymore. With you gone nobody in this world can possibly wield powers greater than I. I won't have the need for the gods anymore. So you die." The man spitted as he reached into that of coat pocket. 

Sweat poured from the boy's face. His wounds had long stopped bleeding, but still his mind was a blur. He cursed himself thinking that he didn't need anyone to come with him. Telling them all to not track him down, and now, because of his pride he was going to fail. He was too weak to release any kind of attack. All he could do was stand in defense, brace himself for the impact. 

"Good bye, young maser," spitted the man. He chuckled as he watched young man's face lit up in fear. He raised his right hand and smirked. "So long ex-master." With that he pulled the trigger. A blast of light fired from his gun shooting the boy down. Chuckling he turned and left the last hope of all of earth to his demise. The gun blast had created an aftershock, sending the boy crashing into the shrine. The shrine cracked into that of two pieces. The impact broke the boy's legs and fractured several of his ribs. Blood poured out of his mouth, dripping down his chin. 

The golden box that he had placed on the now destroyed shrine was sent flying. With his last ounce of strength he caught the golden box. His broken body was sent flying. His life events spewed past his mind. Memories of his innocent childhood came into his mind, before he had accepted this ordeal. Memories of meeting the gods came up. His first few cases, his journey to the top. They were all there, but now, the determining case, he had failed. He had failed them all. 

His body crashed into that of the bridge breaking the rest of his bones, but still he stayed conscious. Still he stayed strong clasping the box tightly, bringing it with it to the depth of the frozen pond. He had already made the decision. If he couldn't recite the chant to free the power, then nobody else would either. Nobody else would. He couldn't bear to let evil get their hands on the power. 

His body was succumbed to the cold. His eyes started to close, falling into deep, eternal sleep. As amber eyes closed forever light spewed from the box, and he remembered. He remembered the gods telling him that when the box shone like this it meant a wish could be granted. The item within had awoken. A smile appeared on his face as the box opened. A small crystal item flew out, radiating in heat. A soothing familiar song played around him giving him warmth. 

"I wish," he muttered. He knew that he could wish for eternal life, but he didn't. He knew this wish would the last wish the oracle could grant, and he had to make it count. He had to make it benefit the good of all people. "I wish to lock the elemental powers away… so… so evil may never get it again." The crystal ball stopped glowing, and he knew that the wish had been fulfilled. A smile appeared upon his face as he drifted to the bottom of the lake with the box within his arms, forever. A biding white light appeared around him, spreading to the sky and covering the world, but still the music played. 

As the light was cast around the world, the savior of all man kind fell into deep sleep. With his last waking breath he muttered. 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I can't be there to see this war being won that I can't be there to see the outcome of it all. To see your faces, especially yours, my love…

"Kasumi."

****

A/N: Well you like? Think I should continue this fic? Or do you think the idea is stupid? It's your decision my dear readers by reviewing and telling me what you think.


End file.
